Structure+of+Writing+Workshop

= Structure of Writing Workshop =

notes by Sandra & Miyo **(our commentary is bolded)**

__Resources Consulted__ //The Writing Workshop, Vol. 1// by Alan Ziegler //Getting Started: The Reading-Writing Workshop, Grades 4-8// by Linda Ellis and Jamie Marsh Penny Kittle

__Structure__ - Modified for TRCS Schedule __E__llis & Marsh: Basic structure should allow students to write every day
 * (1-3 min) Connection
 * (5-15min) Mini-lesson
 * Beginning of the year, focused on pre-writing. Start with personal narrative, then move into other kinds of writing.
 * Move into revision, grammar, conventions based on students' needs
 * (25-40min) Writing Workshop Activities (teacher writes on own topic for 5min to model that we are also writers, then moves to conferencing)
 * Topic of the day
 * Continue a work in progress
 * Revise old work
 * Start something on your own
 * (3 min) Share briefly at the end of each Writing Workshop: Whole group, small group or pairs, voluntary, writing should be supported not criticized, sharing pieces of the writing not the whole piece (ex. hooks, scene that pulls the reader in)
 * Everyone has something available to share, but notebooks are closed to allow for full presence in listening.
 * Everyone claps after author shares
 * Feedback: Specific & Positive (no negative) **(to move quickly 1-3 feedbacks per reader, depending on time allotted)**


 * Publication at the end of a unit/project - ex. class anthology, author's celebration

Ziegler says do not lock workshop into a tight routine - variations should be permissible; flexibility is key.

__Classroom Set-Up__ Ellis & Marsh:
 * Conference Area: Separate area or at students' desks
 * place to sign up for conferences (chalkboard, whiteboard, laminated poster, paper on clipboard)
 * Anecdotal Records
 * on index cards - organize alphabetically by class and stored in separate boxes at the conference table. Date & brief note about the conference
 * notebook with a section for each student - recording skills & strategies worked on

__Tools/Materials__ Ellis & Marsh:
 * Central chest or cart, crates
 * writing utensils: pencils, pens, crayons, markers, highlighters
 * lined & unlined paper for writing & illustrating
 * pencil sharpener
 * rulers
 * staplers & staples
 * glue
 * scissors
 * sticky notes
 * paper clips
 * extra handouts & forms: grading rubrics, peer conference forms, self-assessment
 * trays to submit work or get returned work, posters with procedures posted above
 * posters with reference into (ex. editing marks)
 * some teachers have students take folders home, others leave them in class
 * crates with pull out drawers for portfolio folders

__Writer's Notebook__
 * Ziegler: The Notebook - can take home, never required to hand in, anything can be included, in any form **(we think the teacher should be able to view the notebook periodically. An option for private writing is allowing the students to fold over the pages that they don't want the teacher to view.)**
 * Ziegler: Memo pad - carry with you at all times to jot down observations and anecdotes that can inspire writing.
 * Kittle: Quickwrites, brainstorms, this is a place for writing rehearsal before drafting

__Portfolios__
 * Ziegler:
 * The Folder - all drafts, notes, fragments, mark papers D-Drafts & F-Final to emphasize the process rather than the product
 * Doesn't allow students to take the folder home. Allows single work-in-progress & makes a copy for taking home **(Sounds difficult to manage all that photocopying! Maybe the teacher can determine which students need a photocopy and which don't.)**
 * Ellis & Marsh:
 * Bradded Pocket Folder (can insert 3-hole punched paper)
 * information, notes, handouts, drafts
 * Pieces I Have Written - lists every piece of writing in the folder
 * Skills I Have Learned - record of skills, strategies, writing conventions - can be used as a checklist in editing or to create a personalized rubric.

__Conferencing__ Ellis & Marsh:
 * Anecdotal Records
 * on index cards - organize alphabetically by class and stored in separate boxes at the conference table. Date & brief note about the conference
 * notebook with a section for each student - recording skills & strategies worked on
 * Skills I Have Learned - record of skills, strategies, writing conventions - can be used as a checklist in editing or to create a personalized rubric
 * First conferences are content conferences; moving too fast and focusing on conventions too soon shuts writers down.
 * Students hold the pen/cil to make notes & revisions, not the teacher

__First Days of School__ Ellis & Marsh:
 * Introduce Workshop Schedule
 * what will happen in class
 * daily Expectations for students
 * post charts on walls with typical schedule for writing workshop
 * Establish rules & procedures
 * establish rules with students
 * create poster
 * Make Participation part of the grade
 * Participation Grade Sheet
 * Each day students automatically receive 100pts
 * Code for marking Grade Sheet:
 * M- Materials: Something to write with, notebook or folder, topic to write about
 * O- Off Task: discuss what this means
 * T- Talking: discuss which kinds of talk are appropriate at different times
 * S- Out of seat: discuss when it's appropriate to leave seat
 * D- Disrespectful: discuss what this means
 * Use participation chart as a record of attendance and tardiness: / =absent, TT = tardy
 * Keep sheet on a clipboard, one for each period. Carry with you throughout class.
 * If student receives several warnings/deductions for misbehavior, specific consequences recorded on sheets as well
 * Sheet filed in a special folder and become documentation for student participation throughout the year.